The Cholera outbreak in Haiti beginning in October has infected nearly 210,000 people and killed more than 4,000. This terrible disease spread to a neighboring country, the Dominican Republic, where there have been 238 registered cases and one recent death.
On January 22, a wedding was held in the Dominican Republic and 452 people ate lobster that was infected with the Cholera bacteria. Upon returning to Caracas, Venezuela, the wedding guests may have brought Cholera with them. The Venezuelan Health Minister, Eugenia Sader, reports that one-by-one, people who attended the wedding are being checked for the infection. So far, 135 people in Venezuela are being treated for Cholera.
It is unclear what the consequences may be as twelve of the Venezuelans infected with the Cholera bacteria are still in the Dominican Republic, but four others have traveled to the United States, Mexico and Spain. Health officials are encouraging anyone exposed to this bacterium to get tested, even if they are not showing any symptoms, which include intense diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.
